As stated by the 2019 tiger census report, there are 2,967 royal Bengal tigers across India. In line with this shocking number and to help the species regenerate, The Corbett Foundation (TCF) — a non-profit foundation that directs its efforts toward the conservation of wildlife and also vowed to save these big cats in Tiger Reserves across the country — has launched a collection of NFTs, with a limited number of digital artworks available for the public.

The virtual collectibles are part of the organization’s “Generative NFTs to Regenerate our Tigers” campaign implemented to let the world know about TCF’s mission to safeguard the existing tiger population, creating tiger corridors that allow these felines to roam free across the land so they can repopulate. Signed by agency BBDO Singapore and artist radarboy3000, the limited NFT series represents the number of tigers left in the wild.

No two such Bengal tigers look alike and, following the same “formula,” there are no two identical NFTs. The design for each artwork is inspired by the real unique tiger stripes, the natural patterns that can be admired on the fur of the animals from the TCF reserve.

Launched on a platform where artists are invited to create, mint, and collect generative NFTs, fxhash, the money coming from selling the collectibles is directed towards TCF, so that the organization can continue its meaningful efforts and conservation work in keeping tigers alive, roaming, and growing.

In designing the non-fungible tokens, the artist used the photographs of real tigers provided by the NGO as an inspiration, then created a generative algorithm. There could have been hundreds of thousands of variations yet, radarboy3000 limited the mint to 2,967 to reflect the Bengal tigers in India. “(Re)generative tigers uses an algorithm which generates unique works of art by taking data from photos of actual surviving tigers in the wild,” explains radarboy3000.

“Just like each tiger’s stripes are unique, so is each artwork. Tigers in captivity can never be re-introduced to the wild. So, it’s imperative we protect them and preserve their habitat. I designed the work to be meditative, slowly evolving and revealing — signifying what is broken and lost, but also as a strong message of hope: That these beautiful animals will re-generate in numbers and be allowed to roam freely,” he continued.

Commenting on the campaign, Kedar Gore, Director of TCF, said: “The natural world constantly faces evolving threats, and amongst the vast number of species facing extinction includes the five species of tigers left. Having been at the forefront of tiger conservation in India for nearly 30 years, TCF wants to take a modern approach to create opportunities for the community to bring new hope to the last remaining tigers in the wild. Working with BBDO and radarboy3000 to create beautifully dynamic pieces of NFT artwork from actual photographs of tigers really helps bring the crux of the issue to life, and with the help of the sale of these NFTs, the rejuvenation of wild tigers.”

The timing for the launch of this campaign could not have been better: Not only there’s a huge buzz around the NFTs currently but 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, which occurs every 12 years. With this initiative, TCF’s and partners’ ambition is to raise funds to continue their work and help get tigers off the endangered species list. Hopefully, by the time the next Year of the Tiger comes around, things will take a positive turn for these big cats and their kingdom.

Credits:

Client: The Corbett Foundation

Agency: BBDO Singapore

Artist: radarboy3000

NFT platform: fxhash